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Chapter 22
Diction
(Words Often Mistaken For One Another)
Introduction
Diction is the choice of words. In English there are
many words which are usually confused. Some words
have similar me aning, but cannot be use d
interchangeably; that is, a choice must be made
according to the grammatical situation.
1. Abbreviations, Acronyms
An abbreviation is a short way of writing a word or
phrase which could also be written out in full, using
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only letters of the alphabet and possibly full stops.
For example,
Dr for Doctor
lb for Pound (s)
e.g. for for example
An abbreviation does not normally have a distinct
pronunciation of its own. These properties distinguish
abbreviations from acronyms and initialisms like NATO
and BBC, from clipped forms like gym and phone, and
from symbols like * and 5.
2. Ability, Capacity, Capability
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Applied to a person, the first two (Ability, Capacity)
me an about the same , but the y dont be have
grammatically in the same way. For example,
You have an ability to do something,
but a capacity for doing something.
As for the third (capability), this is best used in the
plural and with no material following: your capabilities
are your abilities and your talents as a whole.
3. Abolition, Abolishment
In most contexts, the noun derived from the verb
abolish is abolition, but abolishment is sometimes
preferred in legal and financial contexts. Therefore,
we write of the abolition of slavery but possibly of the
abolishment of mortgage relief. But abolition is usually
possible in any context.
4. Abuse, Misuse, Disabuse
To misuse something is to use it wrongly. To abuse
it is to misuse it so badly that you damage it. To
disabuse somebody of an idea is to show her that
idea is wrong. For example,
They will be quickly disabused of the notion t hat
linguistics is an easy subject.
5. Abortion, Miscarriage
Both these words refer to a premature expulsion of
the foetus from the womb. The difference lies in the
following:
Abortion can refer to a premature coming out of
the foetus on account of some biochemical or harmonic
disturbance. It can also refer to a deliberate expulsion
of the foetus by a physician in the interest of the
mothers health and life or for some other reason.
The use of miscarriage on the other hand is confined
to a natural coming out of the foetus on account of
some bioche mical or harmonic disturbance .
Miscarriage cannot be used in the case of a deliberate
expulsion of the foetus.
6. Accord, Accordance
When you do something of your own accord, you do it
voluntarily, without being asked instructed to do it.
Note the preposition of here on your own accord is
not standard English. Howe ve r, whe n you do
something in obedience to instructions, you do it in
accordance with those instructions.
7. Accurate, Precise
These words are not interchangeable. Something
which is accurate is correct; the opposite is inaccurate,
which means wrong to some extent. But precise means
correct to a very high degree of detail, and its opposite
imprecise means lacking a sufficient degree of detail.
For example,
Accurate records must be kept.
Can you give more precise definition of the word?
If I try to explain the word loris as denoting a nocturnal
primate, then I am accurate, since a loris is indeed a
nocturnal primate, but I am rather imprecise, since
there are several other kinds of nocturnal primates
besides lorises, and my account fails to distinguish
lorises from lemures, bushbabies and aye-ayes.
8. Adapt, Adopt
To adapt something is to modify it, often especially
to make it suitable for a particular purpose. To adopt
something is to take it up. For example,
Austins Pride and Prejudice has been adapted for
television.
We are adopting a new procedure for budget control.
The derived nouns are adaptation for the first adoption

for the second. Some people now use adoption in place
of adaptation, but this is not recommended.
9. Adjacent, Adjoining
Things are adjacent when they are side by side. But
things are adjoining when they share a common
boundary. For example,
We were sitting in adjacent seats.
We had adjoining rooms in the hotel.
In many circumstances either word can be used. But
note that adjacent does not mean near or close,
and wordings like very adjacent are therefore frowned
on by careful writers. Write very close or very near
instead. Note also the following difference in grammar:
Their land is adjacent to ours, but their land adjoins ours.
10. Affect, Effect
These two are often confused. Apart from one or two
technical uses, the word affect is strictly a verb. In
contrast effect is primarily a noun. For example,
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This wont affect our chances.
This will have no effect on our chances.
There is, however, a verb spelled effect and meaning
bring about. For example,
General Raman managed to effect the withdrawl of
his troops.
But this last verb is rare, except perhaps in the
expression effect a change.
11. All, Whole
All and whole have almost similar meaning. Whole
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means complete; entire etc. All means everything or
everyone of. But there is much difference in their uses.
(a) When the article the or a possessive adjective
(my, your, his, our, etc) is to be used with all, it (the or
possessive adjective) is put after the word all, but
before the word whole. For example,
All the members were present.
The whole world knows it.
He lost all his money.
They got their whole share.
Note: It is wrong to write - the all boys.
(b) All may be followed by of+personal pronoun in
the objective case, provided such a pronoun has no
noun in apposition. If there is a noun in apposition
to pronoun (not after of) after all, it (pronoun) will
be put in the nominative case. For example,
all of us
all of them
all you students etc
Note: In expressions like all day, all night, all
morning, all afternoon, the article the should not be
put after all.
12. Almost, Nearly, Practically
All these words can be used before all, always and
every. For example,
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Almost (nearly, practically) all the boys had left before
the bell rang.
She is almost (nearly, practically) always grumbling
like this.
Almost (nearly, practically) always grumbling like this.
Now, look at the sentences given below:
The speaker said nearly nothing. (Incorrect)
The speaker said almost (practically) nothing. (Correct)
Nearly any boy in the class would answer this question
correctly. (Incorrect)
Almost (practically) any boy in the class would answer
this question. (Correct)
Near ly no one ever believed t hat he was honest .
(Incorrect)
Practically (almost) no one ever believed that he was
honest. (Correct)
I nearly never found him working in t he library.
(Incorrect)
I almost (practically) never found him working in the
library. (Correct)
13. Alphabet(s), Letter(s)
An alphabet is a whole set of letters used for writing
words. For example, the Roman alphabet (the one we
are using at the moment), which has 26 letters, from
A to Z, or the Devanagari alphabet which we use for
writing Hindi, Marathi and Nepali.
The plural form alphabets, is used in the sense
illustrated below:
Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Punjabi have all their own
alphabets which differ from one another.
14. Already, Yet, All ready
Already expresses that something has happened early
or earlier than it might have happened. Yet is generally
used in negative and interrogative sentences. Already
and Yet are commonly used with present perfect
tense. All ready are two different words that express
their separate meaning. For example,
Has the postman come yet? (Not, already)
These mangoes are not ripe yet? (Not, already)
The mangoes are not yet ripe. (Not, already)
He has already finished his task.
Are you all ready? (Here ready means prepared)
Have you met the Police Inspector yet. (suggests enquiry)
Have you already met the Police Inspector? (answer
yes is expected)
15. Also, Even
Also and even are almost similar as regards their
meaning. But there is some difference in their usage.
(i) Also is generally used in the middle of a clause
or sentence. Also modifies the word after which it is
put. For example,
I also beat my servant.
(=other persons also beat him)
I beat also my servant.
(=I beat him and punished him in other ways also.)
I beat my servant also.
(=I beat other persons as well.)
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(ii) Even is generally used after the auxiliary verb or
the intransitive forms of be (is/am/are/was/were). It
should not be used before a subject. For example,
1. He has lost his bag.
He has even lost his watch. (not, Even he has lost....)
2 . This lady is rude to everybody.
She is even rude to her husband. (not, Even she is
rude....)
(iii) Also can be used at the beginning of a sentence,
provided it refers to the whole sentence. In such a
case it becomes necessary to put a comma (,) after
the word also. For example,
This is a good book, but is not voluminous. Also, it
costs much. (not, It also costs much.)
(iv ) Even+if can begin a sentence or clause. For
example,
I shall go out, even if it rains today.
Even if I become a rich man, I shall never be proud of
wealth or power
16. Alter, Change
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The difference between these two words lies in the
following:
Alter refers to changes in matters of detail. For
example,
Customer says tailor, Please alter this shirt; it is too
large for me.
Change is preferred when the reference is to a
significant change, a loss of identity, a thing being
replaced by another. For example,
He seems t o hav e changed quit e a lot since his
marriage.
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Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his
spots?
Women take a long time to change their dress.
He has been changing places quite often.
17. Alumnus, Alumna
Each of the se words denote s a graduate of an
educational institution, but there is a sex difference.
A man is an alumnus (plural alumni), while a woman
is an alumna (plural alumnae). A group of mixed sex
are alumni. And there is no such word as alumnis.
18. Amiable, Amicable
An amiable person is good-natured and easy to get
along with. The word is commonly applied only to
people, though occasionally we find it extended to
occasions, as in an amiable conversation.
But amicable is not applied to people at all; instead,
it is applie d to human inte ractions and the ir
outcomes, as in an amicable settlement (of a dispute)
and an amicable relationship. The meaning here is
friendly and good natured.
19. Amoral, Immoral
An amoral person is one who does not understand
the difference between right and wrong. An immoral
person understands the difference but does wrong any
way.
20. Amount, Number
Amount refers to a quantity of something (a singular
noun) that cannot be counted a large amount of
money. Number refers to countable items (a plural
noun). With most plurals it is better to use number
a large number of mistakes. For example,
The amount of money paid is none of my concern.
A large number of teachers have gone on strike.
Note: A number of (many) is plural in sense and
takes a plural verb. (A number of people were shot
dead.) The number of (= a mathematical or numerical
figure) is singular. It takes a singular verb. (The
number of boys present is very small.)
21. Ancestors, Forefathers
Both these words refer to persons from whom one is
descended. Similarly both these words refer to persons
more remote than grandparents. The difference lies
in the following:
Ancestor has ancestress as its feminine form.
There is no feminine word for forefathers. Unlike
forefathers, ancestor can freely be used in the case
of a woman ancestor as well. One can, for example,
describe a great-grandmother as one of my ancestors
but not as, one of my forefathers
22. Ancient, Old
Ancient is the opposite of modern whereas old is
the opposite of young. Moreover ancient refers to very
old things. And old can at times be used in the case
of a very young child as well. As for example,
The ancient Rome was the cradle of civilization.
The ancient Mariner narrated his story of adventure.
Death overtakes all alike, the young and the old.
My baby is only two months old.
23. Annex, Annexe
The verb is annex, a country can annex territory, but
it cannot annexe it. The noun meaning extension to a
building is annexe in a British English.
24. Anticipate, Expect
To anticipate is to guess or imagine in advance what
will happen, and take the necessary action to face it.
For example,
I tried to anticipate the kind of questions they were
likely to ask me.
To expect is to believe or think that something will
happen or come. For example,
We are expecting a letter from our Boss.
25. Anxious, Eager
Anxious means nervous or worried and is usually
followed by about. Eager means looking forward. It
is usually followed by to. For example,
I am terribly anxious about these children.
Our company is eager to expand into new markets.

26. Anyway, Any way
This is one word when it means regardless, but two
words when it means in any manner. Therefore, we
write,
Do it anyway. (=Do it regardless.) but, Do it any way
you like.
27. Apparently, Evidently
The second of these is stronger than the first. For
example,
Apparently she is a good worker.
(=I gather that she is a good worker or I am told that
she is a good worker.)
Evidently she is a good worker.
(=It is clear that she is a good worker.)
28. Appendix, Supplement
An appendix is that material which is related to the
main work, but is not, strictly speaking, an integral
part of the main work. Appendix in other words, refers
to that material, which, if included in the body of the
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main work, would make the main work less compact
and thereby reduce its quality.
A supplement, on the other hand, is that additional
material which is thought necessary for completing
the main work.
A supplement adds new material to a book etc and
thereby makes it up-to-date.
29. Appraise, Apprise
To appraise something is to estimate its value,
whereas to apprise is to inform. For example,
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I am having an art dealer in to appraise these paintings.
We have apprised him of the facts.
The common error is to use appraise where apprise is
required. But who needs apprise anyway. Just write
inform or tell.
30. Assist, Help
A person who assists has a much more subsidiary
role to play than a person who helps. For example, a
person who is drowning will cry help, help and persons
in the neighbourhood would rush to help him. A
carpenter who is making a boat will ask his children
to assist him in doing that. An Assistant Registrar
assists the registrar in performing his duties. A shop-
assistant assists the shopkeeper in performing in his
duty.
31. Assume, Presume
Both of these mean suppose and their meanings often
overlap. But there is a subtle distinction. To assume
something is to take it for granted as the basis of
discussion or an argument, without offering any
evidence for it. This may be done purely in order to
explore the consequences of the assumption. To
presume something is to suppose it is so because we
have no good reason to suppose otherwise.
Of course, presume alone has a second sense of be
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overly bold, take something upon oneself without
permission, as in we are presuming upon his hospitality.
32. Attend, Attend to
Here, to avoid confusion, it is best to regard attend
and attend to as two distinct items in respect of
meaning: attend means to be present and attend to
means to provide help of some kind or to deal with
somebody or something as illustrated below:
We would like all of you to attend this meeting.
In a serious road accident, the most important thing is
to attend to the injured.
Salesman in a shop : Are you being attended to, Sir?
I have some urgent business to attend to.
Note: Occasionally, however, another phrase, attend
on, is used to convey the meaning of to look after or
serve. For example,
Our President has a team of doctors to attend on him.
But here, the preposition on is optional and most
British speakers do not use it.
33. Avenge, Revenge
Both these words indicate a sense of desire for doing
some harm to the wrong-doer. The difference lies in
the following:
Avenge may indicate that the person has the ends
of justice in mind. It tells us, in other words, that he
wants the wrong-doer to be subjected to his just and
merited punishment. For example,
Mehmet a avenged the destruction of his family by
killing the evil Aga who had caused it.
Revenge often suggests that a person is being guided
by malice and unwillingness to forgive. For example,
Chelsea revenged their earlier defeat a 3-1 win in the
second leg.
The derived noun is vengeance in both the cases.
34. Await, Wait
The words await and wait are similar in meaning but
the differ in use.
Await is used as a transitive verb. Hence it should
never be followed by for+noun/pronoun. For example,
I am awaiting your reply. (Not, awaiting for your reply.)
Wait is always used as an intransitive verb. Hence it
should be followed by for+noun/pronoun. For example,
I am waiting for your reply.
35. Balance, Change
Customer : What is the price of this toy, please?
Shopkeeper : Twenty-five rupees, sir.
Customer : Please pack it for me. Oh, Im sorry, I
dont have any small notes. If I give
you a thousand rupees note, can you
give me the balance?
In the above dialogue, standard English speaker would
use the word change in place of the word balance.
Another somewhat related meaning of the word
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change is coins rather than notes. For example,
Can you please give me change for this ten-rupee coin?
This meaning of the word change seems to be well
known in India.
36. Bank, Shore, Coast, Beach
The place where the land meets the water can be either
the bank or the shore or the coast or the beach.
The edge of a river is called its bank whereas the
edge of a sea is its shore. The land bordering the sea
is coast. We use it when we think of places on maps,
of weather, or naval defence. A beach is part of the
shore that is smooth, without rocks or cliffs: The only
word that can be used for lakes is shore. For example,
Calcutta is situated on the bank of the river Hoogly.
He has a house on the shore of lake Mansarowar.
Our ship is fast heading towards the shore.
Our ship sailed from port to port along the coast.
37. Be, Become
Be and become are two different verbs. The one is
not generally used in place of the other, as they differ
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in meaning.
Be means to exist, to remain, to live, to happen, For example,
to take place. Be has three forms in the present tense.
They are (a) is (b) am (c) are. It has two forms in the
past tense (a) was (b) were. In future tense shall/
will is put before be. For example,
God is (=exists) everywhere.
Let them be (=remain) where they are.
He is (=lives) at Patna these days.
When is the wedding going to be? (=take place)
Become means to change from one state or position to
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another. For example,
He became king.
(=Formerly he was not a king, there came a change in
his power or position.)
Mango becomes yellow when it ripens.
(=There is a change in colour or state.)
Become has another meaning also. It means to be
suitable to. For example,
This hat becomes (=suits) his.
Modesty becomes a woman.
38. Beautiful, Handsome
Beautiful and pretty are generally used for women,
children and things, but not usually for men. We use
handsome for men. For example,
Look at that beautiful girl.
How pretty the Chinese doll is!
Lo ! There comes a pretty child.
He is a handsome young man.
We can use handsome for women having a fine figure,
vigour and dignity. For example,
Jane Austen was a handsome lady with chiselled face
and a fine figure.
39. Bear, Endure, Stand, Tolerate
All these words refer to ones response to something
distressing, irksome or painful.
Bear is the most general of these words. For
example,
I could not bear to see the goat being slaughtered.
I could not bear the sight of that old and sickly man
being crushed to death by a lorry.
Stand is its colloquial equivalent. For example,
I cannot stand this kind of nonsense.
I cannot stand that ugly woman.
Endure is normally used in the case of great bodily
hardship. For example,
He alone can endure that kind of physical torture.
Tolerate is used in the case of human beings and
their behaviour. For example,
He cannot tolerate that rude fellow.
I cannot tolerate this insult.
40. Begin, Commence, Start
In many cases begin and start can replace each other.
After eight oclock in the morning the water level started
(began) rising.
I began (started) learning French at the age of ten.
The meeting began (started) at 10 oclock.
Some of the differences between these two words are
the following: The opposite of start is stop, whereas
the opposite of begin is end. For example,
He began t he day with hope but ended it in
disappointment.
The conversation stopped, and it refused to start again.
Begin and start tend to be preferred in ordinary use.
Commence is more formal than these two verbs and
is often preferred in legal proceedings and officialese
and also on ceremonial occasion. For example,
The proceedings will commence in July.
In certain cases the use of commence may suggest
a prolonged and elaborate beginning. For example,
He commenced being a severe and ardent student.
41. Beside, Besides
Both of these words can be prepositions, but their
meanings are different. The word beside means next
to, while besides means also, in addition to. For
example,
He came in and seated himself beside me.
He has two other cars besides this one.
42. Biennial, Semi-annual, Bi-annual
The word biennial means happening every two years,
while semi-annual means happening twice a year,
happening every six months. The common mistake is
writing biennial where semi-annual is intended.
There is also the somewhat unusual word bi-

annual which means happening twice a year, but you
are advised to avoid this.
43. Bona fide, Bona fides
Of these two, bona fide is an adjective meaning
genuine, while bona fides is a noun meaning good
faith, honest intentions. So, we write a bona fide offer
but there are doubts about his bona fides. The noun is
singular: write His bona fides is not in doubt, not......are
in doubt. However, like most latin expressions, these
two are hardly necessary: it is preferable to write a
genuine offer and there are doubts about his honesty.
44. Both
It is possible to use both alone. For example,
Both are acceptable.
Both of them have been found guilty.
Note the both always takes plural agreement. It is
also possible to combine both with and. For example,
Both the Egyptians and the Israelis will attend the
talks.
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But it is wrong to combine both with as well as. For
example,
Both the Egyptians as well as the Israelis will attend
the talks. (Incorrect)
A wrong use of both is illustrated by the following
example:
Both these words are synonymous. (Incorrect)
Being synonymous is not a property that a single object
can have in isolation, and the correct form is as given
below:
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These words are synonymous. (Correct)
Anothe r e rror occurs, if both is followe d by
preposition, that preposition must be repeated after
and: write both in Britain and in America, and not both
in Britain and America or in both Britain and America.
45. Buy, Purchase
Buy is more general word than purchase. It is the
word of choice in the case of small, casual and day-
to-day transactions. For example,
I bought two small books for my children yesterday.
I bought three spoons last week.
Purchase on the other hand, refers to a transaction
of some importance. Buy can replace purchase in
nearly all cases. But in the case of small day-to-day
transactions, the use of purchase makes the sentence
sound odd. For example,
Go and purchase three eggs from that shop. (Jarring)
Go and buy three eggs from that shop. (much more
likely)
46. Callous, Callus
A callus is a hard patch of skin. But callous is an
adjective meaning indifferent to suffering, as in his
callous behaviour.
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47. Canvas, Canvass
The canvas is a noun denoting a kind of coarse cloth,
used, for example, by oil painters. In contrast, canvass
is usually a verb, and it occurs most often in the
expression canvassing for votes. The verb gives rise to
the uncommon derived noun canvass meaning a
search for votes.
48. Catch, Hold
Please catch the bag while I am locking the car.
This use of catch is not acceptable in sandard English.
We catch a ball, for instance, by arresting its movement
in the air. This, howeve r, is obviousely not the
meaning implied in the above example. The right word
here would be hold not catch.
The word catch suggests an instantaneous action;
the word hold, on the othe r hand, de note s a
continuous state, and it is latter meaning that the
speaker intends to convey in the above example.
49. Cause, Reason
Cause is something that produces a result or an effect
whe re as reason is some thing that justifie s or
explains a result. For example,
She is the cause of all my unhappiness.
The reason of my silence is my illness.
50. Ceiling, Roof
Ceiling is the under surface or the overhead interior
lining of a room. Roof is the top covering of a building,
bus, car or tent. For example,
The ceiling of my drawing-room is being painted.
The roof of his house is leaking.
Even the roof of this bus is crowded with passengers.
51. Centenary, Centennial
Both are correct for hundredth anniversary. But British
English prefers centenary while American English
prefers Centennial.
52. Chaste, Pure
I often find the chaste Hindi of the AIR news bulletins
difficult to understand.
The word chaste has two possible connotations: one,
sexual and the other, simplicity in style. Surely
neither of these is intended by the speaker of the
above sentence. What he intends to say instead is
pure Hindi, not that mixed with say, Urdu and English
words in common use. The right word here is pure,
not chaste.
53. Childish, Childlike
Both these adjectives are now applicable to children
and also to adults. Childish refers to the unpleasant
features of childhood, for example, triviality, greed,
tendency to quarrel about petty things and lack of
manners. For example,
This is my childish effort at using a fork.
Dont be so childish!
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Childlike, on the other hand, refers to the admirable
qualities of childhood, for e xample , simplicity,
innocence and lack of inhibitions.
54. Citizen, Inhabitant
The citizens of a country are those inhabitants who
have all the civil rights and privileges of a full member
of that country. The citizens of a country can be the
native people of that country; they may also be
foreigners who have been naturalized. For example,
Many of the Indians in Britain have become British
Citizens.
The inhabitants of a country are all the people who
live in that country.
55. Clean, Clear
Clean refers to something which is free from dirt. For
example,
Keep your hands clean.
It may also refer to something pure and innocent. For
example,
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He lives a very clean life.
Clear, on the other hand, refers to an object which is
easy to see through. For example,
A piece of clear glass.
The clear water of the swimming pool.
It can also refer to something which can be easily
heard and understood. For example,
His voice was very clear.
Now, look at the sentences given below:
You must keep the utensils clear. (Incorrect)
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You must keep the utensils clean. (Correct)
56. Client, Customer
A person who goes to a solicitor or an architect and
pays for his help or advice is a client. People who buy
goods from shopke e pe rs and trade sme n are
customers. For example,
A successful solicitor has a large number of clients.
This shopkeeper has all attention to his customers.
57. Close, Shut
In expressions like the following, either of the two
words is considered suitable. For example,
Close (shut) the door, please, will you?
She closed (shut) her eyes to all his faults.
Only close can be used in the following contests:
(i) In the case of an institution not functioning
normally. For example,
The schools are open but the colleges are all closed.
The shops closed at 6 pm.
This theatre will remain closed until the end of the
month.
(ii) Conclude
I would now request the chair man to close t he
discussion.
(iii)Bring to an end
I have decided to close the accounts.
58. Cloth, Clothes
A cloth is a piece of fabric used for a specialised
purpose, such as a dishcloth or a table-cloth. The
plural is cloths. But clothes are garments and this
word has no singular form other than item of clothing.
Do not write cloths when you mean clothes.
59. Cold and Cool, Hot and Warm
Cold suggests a lower temperature than cool.
Temperature is uncomfortably low. Cool suggests a
pleasantly low temperature. For example,
I cant stand this cold wave.
A nice cool breeze is blowing.
Hot, likewise, suggests a higher temperature than
warm. It is often uncomfortable. But warm is a
pleasantly high temperature. For example,
You cant work long hours on a hot day.
It was warm, but not hot, day before yesterday.
60. Comic, Comical
Something is comic if it is intended to be funny. The
word is mainly applied to skits (=a short piece of
humorous writing or a performance that makes of fun of
somebody/something by copying them), songs, plays and
the like. For example,
Tom Lehrer is famous for his comic songs.
But something is comical if it is funny unintentionally.
For example,
Her portrayal of Ophelia was comical.
61. Compare to, Compare with
Careful users of English make a useful distinction
between these. To compare X to Y is to say that X is
similar to Y. But to compare X with Y is to note the
similarity and differences between X and Y. For
example,
A shop assistant must compare your signature with
the signature on your credit card.
The critics compared his work to that of Martin Amis.
62. Compatible, Comparable
Things are compatible if they can work together or be
used together successfully. For example,
I cant mail her this attachment because her PC is not
compatible with my Mac.
But comparable means of roughly the same kind or size.
For example,
House prices in Delhi are now comparable to those in
Mumbai.
The common error is to write compatible where
comparable is intended. Avoid errors like Prices are
now compatible with those in Mumbai. And note the
differe nce in pre position: Compatible with, but
Comparable to, not Comparable with.

63. Complement, Compliment
A complement is something which is necessary or
suitable for completeness or harmony. For example,
a ships complement (the officers and crew required
to sail it)
our full complement (all that we need or are entitled
to)
the complement of a verb (a phrase whose presence is
required by the verb)
The related verb meaning go well with is also spelled
complement. For example,
This necklace will complement your outfit.
A compliment is an expression of admiration. For
example,
He paid her a number of flowery compliments.
The related verb is spelled identically. For example,
He complimented her on her outfit.
The common mistake here is to write compliment where
complement is intended. This error is easy to avoid if
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you re call the similarity in spe lling be twe e n
complement and complete.
64. Complex, Complicated
These near-synonyms are not quite interchangeable.
The more formal word is complex, which in technical
use means having an elaborate structure, not easily
treatable. The more informal complicated means hard
to understand or to resolve. Therefore, a difficult
proble m in Mathe matics is comp lex , while
somebodys messy personal life is complicated.
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65. Comply, Conform
These verbs mean about the same, ie to obey a rule,
an order etc, but they take different prepositions. For
example,
We comply with our instructions, but we conform to
the required standards.
66. Comprise, Consist, Compose, Constitute
The se four ve rbs are very frequently confused,
producing awful things like, The NATO forces are
comprised of soldiers from eight countries, and Thirty-
two pieces comprise a chess set.
A whole comprises its parts : The NATO forces
comprise soldiers from eight countries. This verb can
never be passivized or followed by of : hence comprises
of and is comprised of are always wrong. The bad
example above should be written as follows : A chess
set comprises thirty-two pieces.
Note also that comprise does not mean contain;
include, unless what follows it is an exhaustive list.
So, example is wrong: Not a single television news
programma comprises a majority of tabloid content.
Now, look at the following sentences carefully, that
will illustrate the use of consist, compose and
constitute :
A whole consists of its parts : The NATO forces consist
of soldiers from eight countries.
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A whole is composed of its parts : The NATO forces
are composed of soldiers from eight countries.
Its part constitute a whole : Soldiers from eight
countries constitute the NATO forces.
67. Contagious, Infectious
Contagious is used for a disease spreading by contact.
Infectious is used for a disease that can be spread by
means of germs carried in the atmosphere or in water.
For example,
Measles is highly contagious.
Cold is infectious.
68. Continuous, Continual
Continual shows that an action or an event has been
taking place repeatedly. For example,
Our computing system is suffering continual crashes.
Her work was disturbed by continual interruptions.
Continuous, on the other hand, shows the unbroken
continuity of an action or an event. For example,
Englands canals once provided a continuous waterway
from the Themes Estuary to the Irish Sea.
The nerve centre in our brain need a continuous supply
of blood.
69. Conveyance, Transport
Conveyance will be provided to the delegates from the
railway station to the university.
You can claim conveyance allowance.
One of the meanings of the word conveyance is indeed
a vehicle, but in the situations exemplified above,
standard English uses transport instead. And I see
no danger of your not being understood if you use the
transport in place of conveyance in the above contexts.
70. Convince, Persuade
To convince someone means to change his or her
opinion; to persuade someone means to move him or
her to action. Convince is properly followed by of or
that, whereas, persuade is followed by to. For
example,
We could not convince him of our innocence.
We persuaded him to concede our demands.
71. Correspond to, Correspond with
To say X corresponds to Y is to say that X and Y match
up in some systematic way, that X and Y occupy
comparable places in two different systems, or simply
that X and Y are in agreement. For example, we can
write These findings correspond to the predictions of the
theory. In contrast, X corresponds with Y means only
that X and Y are exchanging lette rs, as in I am
corresponding with a scholar in England.
72. Custom, Habit
Customs are social and habits are personal. A habit
is something a person has been doing for a long time.
Custom is something that belongs to a large number
of people of the same sort: all Christians or all
Hindus. For example,
296
Dont let yourself get into bad habits.
Social customs vary from country to country.
73. Delusion, Illusion
Delusion is false opinion or belief which is sincerely
believed to be true. Illusion is false idea or belief
which appears to be true. For example,
He is under the delusion that he is the wealthiest
man of this place.
Macbeth felt that the Birnam wood was moving. It was an
optical illusion.
74. Despite, In spite of
The se are equivalent in me aning, but note the
difference in usage. For example,
The mat ch went ahead despite the bad weather .
(Incorrect)
The match went ahead in spite of the bad weather.
(Correct)
75. Die, Dice
Traditionally, die is singular and dice is plural. For
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example, we throw a die but we throw the dice if we are
throwing two or more of them. This usage is still almost
universal in American English. In Britain, however,
dice is now commonly used also as the singular. For
example, throw a dice. This usage is now recognised
by most British dictionaries. If you are writing for a
British readership only, you can use dice as a
singular, but, if you have a wider readership in mind,
you should use die as the singular. In any case, avoid
the confused phrases illustrated by throw two die and
throw two dices.
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76. Dirty, Filthy
Dirty is a general word indicating dirt of any kind:
dirty hands, dirty clothes. It can also refer to moral
dirt: dirty jokes, dirty stories. Filthy means extremely
dirty; covered with filth. It is a much stronger term
than dirty.
He put the dirty dishes in the sink.
Let me take my filthy boots off.
Nobody relishes your filthy jokes.
77. Discover, Invent
Discover means to find out; get knowledge of; bring
to view something existing but not yet known. Invent
means to create or design something not existing
before. For example,
It was Columbus who discovered America. Marconi
invented the wireless.
78. Distinterested, Uninterested
Disinterested means impartial. Uninterested means
bored or lacking interest.
As a disinterested observer, who do you think is right?
I am completely uninterested in cricket. (I do not find
cricket at all interesting)
79. Dissatisfied, Unsatisfied
When you are dissatisfied you are disappointed,
frustrated, unhappy. When you are unsatisfied, you
feel that you need more of something. Only a person
can be dissatisfied, while an abstract thing like hunger
or a demand for goods can be unsatisfied.
80. Distrust, Mistrust
There is a subtle distinction here which should be
maintained. To distrust somebody is to suspect that
he is dishonest, while to mistrust him is merely to
lack confidence in him. If you consider your deputy to
be wholly honest but somewhat incompetent, then
you may mistrust him but you dont distrust him.
81. Drier, Dryer
There is great variation here, and neither spelling can
be called wrong in any sense. But most authorities
prefer drier for more dry and dryer for any machine
that dries such as a hair dryer or a spin dryer.
82. Earthy, Earthly, Earthen
These adjectives are all different. Something which is
earthy is either similar to earth (as in an earthy texture
or an earthy smell) or coarse and vulgar (as in earthy
language) But earthly means pertaining to our human
existence on earth as opposed to heavenly or celestial:
our earthly existence, earthly powers. It also occurs as
a meaningless modifier in fixed expressions like no
earthly use. Finally earthen means made of earth or of
clay, as in an earthen floor or earthenware.
83. Eastward, Eastwards
Eastward is an adjective but eastwards is an adverb.
For example,
The strong eastward wind (or east wind) helped the
boat going from the western to the eastern Bank of the
river.
The wind was blowing eastwards.
84. East, Eastern
East would normally indicate clearly marked divisions
to be understood in terms of political boundaries. For
example,
East Germany
Eastern would indicate divisions which are not sharply
defined. For example,
Eastern Europe; Eastern India
Similarly, north, south and west would indicate
sharply defined divisions whereas northern, southern
and western would indicate divisions which are not
sharply defined. For example,
(a) North Pole, North America, North Carolina, South
Australia, but Southern England
(b) South Africa, South America, South Carolina, South
Australia, but Southern England.
(c) West Bengal, West Indies, West German, West
Columbia, but Western Europe

Note: Western Australia, Northern Hemisphere,
Southern Hemisphere etc are exceptions.
85. Eatable, Edible
It is possible to find contexts in which the two words
might replace each other, but in most cases they
convey two different shades of meaning. Eatable
means likeable, enjoyable, tasty and fresh enough to
be eaten with some pleasure. For example,
The food the patients are required to eat in that hospital
is hardly eatable.
These bananas are over-ripe but yet they are eatable.
An edible substance is a substance which can be used
as food or for making food. For example,
The price of edible oil is likely to come down next
month.
Mostly, edible is used in an attributive position and
eatable in a predicative position.
86. Economic, Economical
The adjective economic means pertaining to economics
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or to the economy, as in an economic advisor or current
economic conditions. But economical means using a
minimum of money or resources, as in an economical
meal or an economical manufacturing process. Hence an
economic solution to a problem is a solution which
involves economics, while an economical solution is
one which saves money. The common error here is to
write economic where economical is intended: an
economic meal.
87. Effective, In effect
The adjective effective means producing a satisfactory
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re sult: an effective solution is one that works.
Accordingly, the adverb effectively means with a
satisfactory outcome: The salmonella outbreak has been
effectively contained means that salmonella poisoning
is no longer spreading. The phrase in effect means in
practice, and it is usually applied to something which
is officially or notionally not done but which gets done
anyway. For example,
The gover nments new measur es in effect prevent
refugees from entering the country legally at all.
Here in effect indicates that no such outcome was
intended or sought, but that this outcome has arisen
in practice regardless.
88. Effeminate, Womanly, Womanish
Effeminate and womanish are derogatory terms used
for a man having qualities that are regarded as typical
of women. Both the words mean unmanly. Womanly
refers to qualities that are regarded as typical of or
suitable to woman. For example,
A henpecked husband is generally effeminate.
Art thou a man? Thy form cries out thou art: thy tears
are womanish. SHAKESPEARE
She showed a womanly concern for t he aggrieved
family.
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89. Egoist, Egotist
Egoist means a selfish person, one who puts his
interest first. Egotist means a self-centred person,
one who is continuously speaking of himself or trying
to attract attention to himself.
An egoist is all too eager to serve his own end.
He is an egotist for he always blows his own trumpet.
90. Elder, Older
Normally, elder is used in the case of the members
of a family. Older can be used in the case of persons
having no family relationship. For example,
1. He married his older daughter to a doctor and the
younger one to an engineer. (Incorrect)
He married his elder daughter to a doctor and the
younger one to an engineer (Correct)
2 . Jaggu is elder than all other students in his class.
(Incorrect)
Jaggu is older than all other students in his class.
(Correct)
Elder is sometimes used in the case of a person older
than another person (especially son) of the same
name. For example,
Some people say that Sam, the elder, was mor e
successful as a politician than sam, the younger.
Normally, older but not elder, can be used in the
predicative position in a sentence. For example,
Rajesh is elder than I am. (Incorrect)
Rajesh is older than I am. (Correct)
Note: The elder in the phrase elder statesman refers
to those senior statesman (generally those who have
retired from office) who exerts a great deal of influence
and whose advice and guidance are valued because of
their age and experience.
91. Elicit, Illicit
The verb elicit means call forth, as in My complaint
elicited only a pompous reply. The adjective illicit means
illegal or contrary to prevailing mores (=the customs
or conventions considered typical of or essential to a group
or community), as in illicit trading. Do not write illicit
when you mean elicit.
92. Emigrant, Immigrant
To emigrate is to go away from one country to another
with the purpose to settling their. To immigrate is to
come to a country as a settler. For example,
The immigrants in England have not been able to
integrate themselves with the native people.
The British emigrants to Canada and Australia are
mostly teachers, doctors and engineers
93. Emotional, Emotive
These words overlap somewhat in their meanings. But
emotional is usually preferred in the se nse of
displaying emotion, as in an emotional outburst, and
also in the sense of calling forth emotions, as in an
emotional moment. In contrast, emotive is a rather dry
298
and abstract word, encountered most commonly in
the expression emotive language, meaning language
which is carefully crafted to induce emotions, such
as the language of some poems and of some political
speeches. If its spontaneously and artlessly affecting,
its emotional; if its coldly calculated to produce an
emotional response, its emotive. When in doubt, prefer
emotional.
94. Empathy, Sympathy
The word sympathy means pity, while empathy means
more specifically identification with the other person.
You can sympathize with anybody who is in a bad
position, but you can only empathize with her if you
can readily see yourself in her shoes. For example,
She showed no sympathy when I told her I was in
trouble.
There is a natural love and empathy between them.
95. Empty, Vacant
Empty means containing nothing. It refers to an
object; an empty box, an empty room. Vacant also
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me ans e mpty. It is used for a place or space,
especially one that is usually filled or intended to be
filled. There is a vacant place over there. It is also
used of a job not at present filled. I have applied for
the vacant post. It also means lack of interest or
serious thought. A vacant mind breeds depression.
For example,
An empty vessel sounds much.
Is this seat vacant?
96. Endemic, Epidemic, Pandemic
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An endemic disease is one that persists for a long
time in a particular area: Malaria is endemic in tropical
Africa. An endemic disease does not necessarily affect
large numbers of people at one time. An epidemic
disease is one that affects very many people at one
time in one place: There is an epidemic of flu in California.
A pandemic disease is an epidemic that affects a vast
area, such as the Black Death in the fourteenth
century or the flu outbreak of 1919.
97. Enervate, Invigorate, Energize
The first two words have almost opposite meanings.
When you are invigorated, you become filled with
energy and enthusiasm. But, when you are enervated,
you are drained of energy, for example, by a gruelling
ordeal or by a serious illness. Do not write enervate
when you mean invigorate. The word energize means
the same as invigorate, but many people dislike it.
Prefer invigorate.
98. Enhance, Increase
(a) The eduction allowance of the state employees will
be enhanced soon.
The meaning is clear to all who know English, but the
use of the word enhance is not appropriate here.
Enhance does mean increase, or rather improve, but
not in size or numbers; it means improve the quality or
status of something, as in the following sentences:
(b) It is time now to consider how to enhance the
quality of our education.
Therefore, in sentence (a) above, we should use
increased or raised instead of enhanced.
99. Envious, Jealous
Both these words refer to a person who wants to have
what someone else has. He is, in fact, unhappy about
another persons possession of something that he
himself would like to possess. For example,
He is jealous of their success.
He is envious of their success.
Jealous, however, refers to a stronger and more
unpleasant feeling. In some cases, it means unhappy
and angry because someone who should like you, likes
someone else more. When I kiss the baby, it makes
the older child jealous.
100. Environment, Surroundings
Environment may sometimes refer to the aggregate of
physical surroundings and climatic, social, and cultural
conditions which affect not only the physical but also
the intellectual, emotional and spiritual growth of a
person. For example,
It is so satisfying to work in an academic environment
like this.
Surroundings generally refers to physical objects like
buildings, trees, flowers which may be pleasing or
depressing. For example,
He lives in very beautiful surroundings.
W ild animal do not liv e long in t he ar tif icial
surroundings of a zoo.
Now, look at the sentence given below:
The surroundings of the university are very beautiful
but the environment of the university campus is not
at all conducive to academic work.
101. Epigram, Epigraph, Epitaph, Epithet
An epigram is a pithy statement, especially a witty
one. An epigraph is an inscription on a building or a
monument, or a quotation at the beginning of a book
or a chapter suggesting its theme. An epitaph is an
inscription on a tombstone , or any re mark
commemorating a dead person. An epithet is a
descriptive word or phrase added to somebodys name,
or used in place of his name, as when King Richard I
of England is called the Lionheart.
102. Equity, Equality
Quite apart from its several legal and financial senses,
equity me ans impartiality, fairne ss, lack of
favouritism. It is an error to use this word when you
mean equality that means the state of being equal.

103. Error, Mistake, Slip
An error is a deviation from an expected standard.
For example,
This book is full of printing errors.
His essay is full of grammatical errors.
This word may also refer to a deviation from a moral
standard. For example,
May God pardon him for the errors of his misguided
life.
Mistake can replace error in such cases. But only
mistake and not error, can be used if the intended
meaning is either of the following:
(i) something done because of carelessness or
forgetfulness:
He took my pen by mistake.
(ii) wrong decision:
It was a mistake to appoint him.
In mathematics error can refer to the difference
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between the observed value and the true value of a
quantity. For example,
These errors are of a very small magnitude.
Only error and not mistake can be used in this
context. A slip refers to a minor mistake in speech
or writing, a mistake on account of carelessness or
absentmindedness. For example,
That slip of the tongue in the middle of his speech
made everybody laugh.
This is not a genuine mistake; it is only a slip of the
pen.
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104. Especially, Specially
Especially means particularly or more than other You are to use further (i) when the sense is additional
things; specially means for a specific reason. For (further evidence, further information), or in addition
example,
I especially treasure the memory of days long gone by.
These boots were made specially for me.
105. Everybody, Everyone, Every One
The words everybody and everyone mean the same
thing, though everyone is sometimes considered slightly
more formal than everybody. These words can only be
applied to people. But every one is different. This
means each one, every single one of them, and it
can be applied to things as well as to people. For
example,
He left several dozen notebooks, but his widow burned
every one.
106. Every day, Everyday
The adverbial phrase is every day: write This happens
every day, not This happens everyday. But the adjective
is everyday, as in an everyday occurrence.
107. Evoke, Invoke
To invoke something is to call upon it, or to appeal to
it, for help or inspiration. For example, we can invoke
299
a clause in our contract, or we can invoke a legal
precedent, or we can invoke the assistance of a
powerful patron. Invoking is done deliberately, and
only a human being can invoke anything.
In contrast, to evoke something is to call it up in
somebodys mind. For example, a song, a play or a
story may evoke memories of your childhood, or an
unpleasant act may evoke an angry response. Evoking
is not usually deliberate, and it is not usually done
by human beings.
108. Explicit, Implicit
Explicit means stated outright, clear and fully
expressed. It refers to a statement, rule, etc. Implicit
means implied or understood though not directly
expressed. For example,
I gave you explicit instructions not to tamper with the
records.
Your request for information contains an implicit
threat.
109. Famous, Notorious
Famous me ans widely and favourably known.
Notorious, on the other hand, is widely but only
unfavourably known to the people in general. For
example,
Naushad is a famous music director.
Phulan Devi is a notorious dacoit.
110. Farther, Further
Farther refers to additional distance (How much farther
is it to the Juhu beach?), and further refers to
additional time or amount, or other abstract matter (I
dont want to discuss this matter any further).
(Have you anything further to say?), and (ii) when it is a
verb meaning advance, promote (to further ones own
interests). As adjective or adverb denoting distance,
farther is the correct word.
111. Fast, Soon
Come fast, child. You are getting late for school. Fast
means quick, quickly, swiftly, and in some context,
even soon. Therefore, all the following expressions
are all right in standard English.
a fast car; a fast learner; to run fast;
leave this place as fast as you can.
But and there lies the problem fast is not used
together with come. In the given example, therefore,
we had better use either run fast or come soon or
come at once.
112. Fatal, Lethal
Though both pertain to death, these words are not
equivalent. We apply fatal to something which has
caused someones death: a fatal accident is an accident
which has killed someone involved in it, and a fatal
disease is a disease which has killed the person
contracting it. In contrast, we apply lethal to something
300
which is capable of killing someone: a lethal weapon is
a weapon which can kill, regardless of whether it has
yet killed anybody, and a lethal disease is a disease
which is capable of killing those who suffer from it.
There is, however, a complication with diseases. A
disease which invariably kills its victims may be
described as fatal.
113. Few, A Few
These two have quite different senses: few means
hardly any, while a few means some, but not many.
The first implies that the total is not far from zero,
while the second implies that the total is greater than
zero. So, Few of my students speak French means Hardly
any of my students speak French, while A few of my
students speak French means I have some students
who speak French.
114. Fewer, Less
Though colloquial English is often different, standard
written English uses fewer with things that can be
counted and less with things that cannot be counted:
fewer people but less money. Do not write less students
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or less players.
However, do not write fewer than six weeks. Here
the expression six weeks denotes only a single period
of time, and not a collection of six individual objects,
and so the required wording is less than six weeks.
115. Fictitious, Fictional
Both of these words mean made up, invented. But
they are not quite interchangeable. The word fictional
means pertaining to fiction, found in fiction, as in
Shangri-La is a fictional country and Macbeth was a
historical King of Scotland, not a fictional one. In contrast,
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fictitious means false, fraudulent, non-existent,
as in Cyril Burts supposed collaborator was found to be
fictitious.
116. Farther, Further
Further means some more or additional. For example,
Dont make further delay.
Farther means more far or more distant. For example,
Delhi is farther than Varanasi from Patna.
117. Foreword, Preface
A foreword is a short write-up appearing at the
beginning of a book. It does not form part of the main
body of the book. Ge ne rally, a foreward says
something about the value of the book or something
about its author and is intended thereby to put the
reader in the right frame of mind. A foreword can be
written by the author of the book but very often it is
written by someone other than the author of the book.
A preface, too, is a brief write-up appearing at the
beginning of a book. It does not form part of the main
body of the book and in this respect it is similar to a
foreword. Normally, the function of a preface is to
state the circumstances in which the book was
produced or to say for whom the book is meant or to
say something else which would not appear relevant
inside the main body of the book. Unlike a foreword,
a preface is normally written by author of the book.
Preface can be used with edition. Therefore, phrases
like preface to the first edition. preface to the second
edition and preface to the third edition are common
and readily acceptable. Foreword, on the other hand,
refers normally to the book and not to one of its
editions.
118. Foot, Leg
The foot is the lower end of the leg beginning at the
ankle. It includes the arch, the heel and the toes.
The leg is the part of the body from the hip to the
ankle without foot.
Leg can be used in idioms like the following:
(i) pull somebodys leg
(ii) not have a leg to stand on = have nothing in support
of ones opinion
Foot is used in idioms like the following:
(i) put ones foot down = protest firmly
(ii) have one foot in the grave = be near death
119. Gambit, Gamut
In chess, a gambit is the deliberate sacrifice of material
for the sake of gaining a superior position. The term
may be extended to any kind of calculated manoeuvre
made by someone who hopes to gain an advantage, as
in a conversational gambit, but it should not be used
more broadly to label any kind of manoeuvre at all.
And do not confuse this word with gamut. This word
means the whole range, as in the example She ran
the gamut of emotions, meaning that she exhibited
every possible emotion.
120. Gender, Sex
Strictly spe aking, gender is a grammatical
phenomenon found in certain languages in which
nouns are classified into two or more classes requiring
different agreement. In contrast, sex is a matter of
biology: you are born into one sex or the other. You
should not use gender when you mean sex: write She
was discriminated against because of her sex, not ...
because of her gender. Using gender for sex sounds
prissy: it suggests that you are too embarrassed to
use the word sex in any sense at all.
121. Gather, Collect, Accumulate, Amass
You can gather things which are irregularly distributed,
or not clearly separated from one another: to gather
information/flowers/crops. Collect is like gather. It
sugge sts that the things you are gathering are
separate, or can be dealt with one at a time: Collect
the magazines and put the m on the shelf/I am
collecting data for my research project. It (collect) is
used especially when you want to keep things together
to form a collection. He collects coins/stamps. If you
accumulate things, you collect more and more of them

over a period of time (often without having a strong
intention to do this): Ive accumulated quite a lot of
rare paintings over the years. Amass, however, is
rather formal. It is used especially of money, goods or
power collected gradually, but in very large amounts.
Harshad Mehta has amassed a fortune through share-
market.
122. Glance, Glimpse
Glance means to look at something quickly whereas
glimpse means to see by chance, just for a moment.
For example,
I can tell at a glance what ails this man.
I caught a glimpse of the Rashtrapati Bhawan as I
drove quickly past.
123. Give, Take (an exam)
My grandson, who is in class IX now, will give school-
final exam next year.
This sentence will be all right only if my grandson
(who is just studying in class IX now) becomes an
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examiner of class X next year; otherwise not.
It is the examiner (or the teacher) who gives an exam;
the student mere takes it.
Isnt this just the opposite of what happens in many
Indian languages? And that, incidentally, explains the
source of this incorrect use.
124. Guest, Visitor
A guest is a person who is staying with you, or a
person whom you have invited to a social occasion,
such as a party or a meal or a person that you have
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invited to your house or to a particular event that you
are paying for.
(Note that there are some other meanings of guest
too, but our concern is with the above meaning)
A person, on the other hand, who just pays a
courtesy call on you and then goes away (after having
a cup of tea, if you like) is, in standard English,
generally not regarded as a guest; he/she is a visitor.
125. Hang, Hanged, Hung
Standard English makes a curious distinction here.
In most circumstances, the verb hang is irregular
and has the parts hang, hung, hung; The picture was
hung in the living room. However, when hang means
put to death with a rope, it is regular, and has the
parts hang, hanged, hanged: They hanged him; He was
hanged. It is not recommended to write They hung him
or He was hung.
126. Hangar, Hanger
You put your coat on hanger, but you keep a plane in
a hangar.
127. Hear, Listen
Hear means to perceive sound, etc, with the ears.
Listen means try to hear, pay attention to. For
example,
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The deaf cant hear.
Please listen to what I am saying.
We listened but heard nothing.
128. Hide, Skin
The raw and undressed skin of large animals (like
horses, elephants, etc) used for commercial purpose
is called hide. The thin outer covering on the body of
a man or an animal or a fruit is skin. For example,
This leather factory gets two hundred tonnes of hide
as its raw material.
He has specialized in skin diseases.
Let me peel the skin of this orange.
129. Historic, Historical
A historical event is one which really happened, which
is not fictitious or mythical. In contrast, historic event
is one which is so memorable that it will live in peoples
memories for a long time. For example,
Neil Armstrongs landing on the moon was a historic
event.
He described that event in historical perspective.
130. Homogeneous, Homogenous
The adjective homogeneous (five syllables) means
having a uniform composition: Stir the mixture until it
appears homogeneous. But the adjective homogenous
(four syllables) is only a technical term in comparative
anatomy: homogenous structures are structures in
different creatures having a common evolutionary
origin, like the forelegs of dogs and the wings of bats.
The second should not be used when the first is
intended.
131. Hope, Expect
If you hope for something, you want something to
happen and usually have some reason to expect that
it will happen. On the other hand, if you expect
something, you think or believe something will happen
or someone will arrive.
The central point of difference between the two
words, then, is the following:
In hoping you want something to happen; in
expecting, on the other hand, you think or believe
that it will happen. Obviously, the difference between
want and think or believe is large enough to
perceive.
132. House, Home
A house is a building for people to live in. And the
place where you live in is your home, whatever type of
house it is. Your home is the place to which you belong
and where you feel comfortable. It also means the
place where one is born and habitually lives. For
example,
He has shifted to a newly built house.
Bilaspur is my home but Im living in Delhi just now.
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133. Hurt, Injured, Wounded
Injured and hurt both mean physical damage caused
by an accident. But wounded implies physical damage
caused in an attack. For example,
In a train accident twenty passengers were injured.
She was badly hurt in a bus and a truck collision.
The enemy attacked our outpost and wounded five
soldiers.
134. Hyperbola, Hyperbole
A hyperbola is a certain mathematical curve. But
hyperbole is overstatement, exaggeration, as in She
is infinitely more talented than her boss.
135. If ... was/were
When the subordinator if introduces a counterfactual
clausethat is, a clause representing something
which is not truethen, in formal writing, the verb-
form were is required, not was. Examples, If I were
dictator, I would ban men from wearing shorts; If Susie
were not so plain-spoken, she might be a cabinet minister
by now. Spoken English commonly uses was here,
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but writers should learn this formal and possibly
unnatural use of were.
136. Illegal, Illicit
The word illegal means prohibited by law. The word
illicit can also have this meaning, but more commonly
it me ans contrary to pre vailing social more s
(conventions), as in an illicit love affair.
137. Illegible, Unreadable
An illegible text is one in which the letters and the
words cannot be made out, and hence one which
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cannot be interpreted. An unreadable text is one which
is so poorly written that a reader cannot be expected
to struggle through it.
138. Imbue, Inculcate
You imbue a person with ideas. The meaning the word
imbue to fill somebody or something with strong feelings,
opinions or values. But you inculcate ideas in a person.
Inculcate means to cause somebody to learn and
remember ideas, moral principles etc especially by
repeating them often. For example,
My t eacher s imbued me with a st r ong sense of
professionalism.
My t eacher s inculcated a st r ong sense of
professionalism in me.
139. Imminent, Immanent
The common word imminent means about to happen,
as in A storm is imminent. The rare word immanent
means inherent, permanently present throughout
the universe, and is chiefly confined to religon and
metaphysics.
140. Impractical, Impracticable
If something is impractical, it can be done, but doing
it would require more time, money or effort than its
worth. If something is impracticable, it cant be done
at all.
141. Imply, Infer, Insinuate
Imply means to give or make a suggestion; to express,
show, or mean indirectly. But infer means conclude,
reach an opinion from facts or reasoning. Writers or
speakers imply something whereas the listener or the
reader infers it. For example,
Ravis letters imply that he is doing brisk business.
Am I to infer from your remarks that you think I am a
liar?
To insinuate something is to suggest it indirectly, by
means of hints or innuendo (an indirect remark about
somebody/something usually suggesting something
bad or rude). Only a human being can insinuate
anything. It is wrong to write the following:
These results insinuate that our current model needs
revision
Use imply instead of insinuate.
142. Incident, Accident
Incident refers to event, especially of less importance
than othe rs; happe ning that attracts ge ne ral
attention. But accident means an unexpecte d,
unpleasant occurrence. For example,
Tell me about the strongest incident of your life.
Drive slowly lest you should meet with an accident.
143. Index, Indexes, Indices
When an index is an alphabetical listing at the back
of a book, its plural is indexes. In all other uses, and
particularly in mathematical senses, the plural is
indices.
144. Infamous, Notorious
Infamous means disgraceful, worthy of hatred. It is
not directly related to famous, and something which
is infamous is not necessarily well known. The Serbian
atrocities in Kosovo were infamous even before anyone
outside had heard of them. The word does not mean
famous or celebrated, and it certainly does not mean
quaint (=attractive because of being unusual or old-
fashioned).
Something which is notorious is not only bad but
well-known. So, a notorious torturer is someone who
is widely known as a torturer.
145. Ingenious, Ingenuous, Disingenuous
The word ingenious means extremely clever, and it
may be applied either to a person or to a plan or a
device constructed by such a person. But ingenuous
means naive, easily deceived when applied to a
person and naive, foolish when applied to a plan or
an action. The opposite of the second, disingenuous,
means calculating, deceptive, slightly dishonest.
146. Inimitable, Inimical
The word inimitable means unique, not capable of

being imitated. It has been so vastly overused in show
business that it is now best avoided. The word inimical
means hostile. The second should not be used when
the first is intended.
147. Intimate, Notify
Please intimate me the courts judgement in the matter.
There are two problems here:
(a) the grammar of the verb intimate.
(b) its meaning
As for grammar intimate, like explain, appeal and
listen, is followed by the preposition to before the
Indirect object (like me, you, him, Mohan, Sita). In the use of the verb keep in this sentence, the
Therefore, we have to say intimate to me.
Next its meaning. Broadly it means the same thing
as inform but with a difference. When we say intimate,
we mean inform in an indirect way, by hints, for
example. Furthermore, the word is rather formal, so
not appropriate in an informal situation.
Now, notify. This too means inform, but with a
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difference. If you notify me of something, you inform
me about it officially. Further, notice that between
notify and me there is no preposition. So it patterns
like the verb inform.
148. Issue, Child
How many issues do you have?
The word issue meaning child is nowadays used only
in the legal language, especially in such sentences
as:
My uncle died without an issue. So I inherited his
property.
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In other than legal use, the word is so rare that some
modern dictionaries do not list this meaning of the
word at all.
149. Judicial, Judicious
The word judicial means pertaining to judges or to
the courts, as in a judicial review or a judicial separation.
In contrast, judicious has nothing to do with the law:
it means prudent, carefully considered, showing
good judgement, as in a judicious choice and judicious
advice.
150. Jurist, Juror
A jurist is a person who is knowledgeable about the
law, especially one who writes about legal matters.
The word is not a fancy equivalent for judge. A juror
(note the spelling) is a member of a jury.
151. Just, Justly, Just Now
Just me ans a moment ago. Justly me ans in
accordance with justice or the law. For example,
He was justly punished for his crimes.
He has just gone out.
Note that normally, only a present perfect tense is
used with just.
Just now also means a moment ago but it is used
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only with a past simple tense. For example,
I felt a sudden pain in my chest just now.
It is wrong to write I have/had felt....just now.
152. Keep, Put
Keep denotes the continuity of an activity. It indicates
that a thing is going to be in a certain condition for
some time . Put on the othe r hand, de note s a
momentary action. Now, look at the sentence given
below:
(a) Will you please keep this letter on my desk?
speaker is clearly referring to the act of placing the
letter. But this in not the function of the verb keep.
This verb refers to the state of retention at a particular
place as in the following sentence:
(b) Keep your passport in a safe place.
And for just the act of placing something somewhere,
as implied in sentence (a), the right word is put.
153. Lady, Woman, Female
My neighbour has appoint ed a new lady f or
dishwashing and mopping the floor.
Even if times have changed a lot, and in this democratic
age we no longer restrict the use of the word lady to
refer only to a woman from upper classes, they have
not changed so drastically as to legitimise the use of
this word for domestic helper or servant except
perhaps in jokes. In the above sentence, therefore,
the right word is woman, which is general service
word to refer to any adult female human being.
Now, the word female. Yes, I have heard it used as
a noun in contexts similar to the one exemplified
above, but there is a small problem. Since this word
is more often used as an adjective (as in female
employees, female singer, female issues) than as
a noun, if you use it in the given example, you
unwittingly emphasise the gender of the person you
are referring to. Therefore, where no such emphasis
is required, I would suggest the use of the word
woman.
154. Later, Latter
Later is the opposite of earlier. For example,
The meeting was to begin at 10 oclock; Rajesh came
much earlier than 10 oclock and Ramesh came much
later.
Latter means the second of the two mentioned. This
word is the opposite of former. For example,
Of these two Nobel Prize winners in India Raman
and Tagore the former was a physicist, the latter a
poet.
155. Lazy, Idle
Lazy means unwilling to work, doing little work.
Idle means not working or not being used. The two
words are not synonymous.
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Rajo is a very lazy boy. (doesnt like working)
He is sitting idle. (not working)
He spent many idle hours (did nothing) during the
holidays.
That machine is lying idle. (not being used)
156. Legend, Legendary
A legend is a largely fanciful story, or series of stories,
about the past which may have some basis in fact.
King Arthur is a good example of a legendary figure:
there may well have been a historical Arthur who did
something or other fairly important, but the tales of
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are
entirely medieval fabrications.
The adjective legendary may safely be extended to
a real person who has achieved such outstanding
success in some field as to appear almost larger than
life. Good examples are the cricketer Don Bradman,
the base ball playe r Babe Ruth, and Napole on
Bonaparte. But it is out of order to apply the label
legendary to a real person who is merely well known,
or who is known only to a small group of specialists.
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The Egyptian Pharaoh Peribsen is a well-documented
historical figure. Nobody apart from Egyptologists has
ever heard of him, but this fact does not make him
legendary.
157. Lie, Lay
(a) When lie is used as a noun it means a false
statement made with the intention of deceiving.
For example,
Dont tell a lie.
(b) When lie is used as an intransitive verb it means
to utter falsehood with an intention to deceive. In this
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meaning the past and past participle of lie is lied
only.
(c) As an intransitive verb lie has other meanings
also. It means to be in a horizontal or nearly horizontal
position, to be situated, to be or remain passively.
In these meanings lay is the past form and lain
is the past participle form of the verb to lie.
(d) Lay is used as a transitive verb. It takes an
object. It means to cause to lie, to place or set down,
to spread something on, to deposit, Laid is its past
and past participle form.
Note carefully that lay is the present form of the
verb to lay and past form of the verb to lie.
158. Like, As
In formal English, like cannot be use d as a
conjunction. Though common in speech, the usage
illustrated by We should proceed like we did last time
must be avoided: write We should proceed as we did
last time. Similarly, write He batted as though he were
possessed, not He batted like he was possessed. But
do write He batted like a man possessed, not He batted
as a man possessed.
However, it is not true that as cannot be a
preposition. It can be, but its meaning is different
from that of like. If I write Like your teacher, I advise
you to learn algebra, then I am not your teacher, and I
am merely comparing myself to your teacher. However,
if I write As your teacher, I advise you to learn algebra,
then I am indeed your teacher, and I am speaking in
my capacity as your teacher.
159. Likeness, Resemblance, Similarity
Like and similar may re fe r to a similarity in
appearance or in any other feature. Resemblance, on
the other hand refers mostly to similarity in physical
appearance. For example,
These two girls resemble each other very much. I think
they are twins.
Like is a general word. It may indicate any degree of
similarity ranging from virtual identity in all respects
to a chance similarity in only respect.
Similar emphasises the likeness between different
things, the implication being that the difference may
be ignored or overlooked for a time.
160. Look, Watch
Look is often used as an intransitive verb. It means
to direct the sight with attention; to give attention; to
seem; to appear. It is generally followed by a preposition
+ noun. For example,
Look at the map of India on the wall.
(Here Look at means direct your sight with attention
to)
He looks sad.
(Here looks means seems or appears)
She looks (=appears) like her mother.
Watch is often used as transitive verb. It means to
keep in view, to observe attentively. For example,
We watch things that change, move or develop.
Watch that man; just see what he is going to do.
Watch is sometimes used as an intransitive verb.
Then it means to keep vigil, to be on the alert. For
example,
The police watched all night for the thieves.
161. Luxuriant, Luxurious
The word luxuriant means lush, rich, as in luxuriant
vegetation. But luxurious means sumptuous, as in a
luxurious apartment. Misuse is common in both
directions, but is as yet tolerated by no commentator.
In any case, luxurious is increasingly replaced as a
proposed modifier by luxury, as in a luxury apartment.
This new form has a small advantage in brevity, but
no other advantage I can think of. Stick to luxurious in
careful writing.
162. Male, Masculine, Female, Feminine
The words male and female denote the biological sexes:
a male lion, a female engineer. The words masculine and
feminine are applied to characteristics perceived as

typical of each sex, or to individual people seen as
exhibiting these characteristics: a masculine man is a
man perceived as having manly characteristics, and a
feminine style is a style perceived as appropriate to
women. You should not use masculine and feminine to
mean merely male and female: it is wrong to write a
masculine name for a male name (like Henry) or the feminine
gender for the female sex.
The adjective effeminate is a contemptuous label
applied to a man perceived as exhibiting stereotypical
female characteristics. The nearest counterpart for a
woman perceived as exhibiting the characteristics of
a man is mannish.
163. Mannequin, Manikin, Mannikin
A mannequin is a plastic human figure displayed in
the window of a clothing store. Occasionally the word
is also applied to a human model on the catwalk. A
manikin is a tiny man, either a boy or a dwarf, and it
is also a model of the human body used in teaching
medicine or art. For the second, a variant spelling
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mannikin is recognised by some dictionaries, but this
is widely disliked and should be avoided.
164. Marketing, Shopping
We have run out of groceries. Can we go out marketing
this evening?
The intended meaning of the word marketing here is
buying. But this is almost the opposite of what the
word marketing actually means, viz, the activity of
presenting, advertising, and selling a companys products
in the best possible way. Thus, marketing is even
broader than selling and has nothing to do with
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buying.
Actually the word the speaker needs to use in place
of marketing is shopping, which means the activity of
going to shops or stores and buying things.
165. Marriage, Wedding
Under the word marriage, you will find three concepts
dealt with in any good dictionary. These are given
below:
(a) A legal relationship between a husband and wife.
For example,
In any happy marriage, both husband and wife have to
exercise a good deal of tolerance.
Obviously, there is no reference here to the marriage
ceremony. Also, whe n you say that somebodys
marriage is on the rocks, you certainly do not mean
that their marriage ceremony, which took place
sometime in the past, is on the rocks.
(b) The state of being married. For example,
Last month a senior citizen couple celebrated fifty five
years of their marriage.
Here again there is no reference to the marriage
ceremony.
(c) The ceremony in which two people get married.
For example,
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My nehpews marriage takes place next month.
Only this definition of marriage refers to the marriage
ceremony. And for this definition, we have another
word, wedding, which is unambiguous because,
unlike the word marriage, it does not have any other
meaning. It is for this reason that the anniversary
you celebrate in honour of the ceremony of your
marriage are called wedding annive rsaries not
marriage anniversaries.
166. Masterful, Masterly
The adjective masterful means dominating, exercising
authority very effectively. We may write, for example,
of King Alfreds masterful leadership. But masterly
means very skilful: we may write of a masterly analysis
of the problem.
167. Maternal, Motherly
Maternal means related on the mothers side or
inherited from the mothers side. For example,
He is my maternal uncle.
He is going to sell all his maternal property.
Motherly means mother-like. For example,
I was overwhelmed by her motherly treatment.
I cannot ignore has motherly advice.
168. May, Might
In the present tense, either of these is acceptable,
though the first perhaps suggests a somewhat greater
degree of confidence than the second: We may have a
peace treaty this month and We might have a peace treaty
this month are both permissible.
The difficulties begin in the past tense. A past-
tense verb-form can normally only be followed by might,
and not by may. So, the required form is Susie said
that she might be here, and not Susie said that she may
be here. Likewise, write We believed that we might have
a chance, and not We believed that we may have a chance.
The use of may in such sentences is decidedly non-
standard, and it will cause many readers to grind their
teeth.
An even greater problem arises with the pair may
have and might have. In standard English, these two
are very sharply distinguished, as follows. If I write
We may have won, this means Maybe we won, and
maybe we didnt: I dont know what the facts are. But, if
I write We might have won, this carries the very different
meaning We didnt win, but, in slightly different
circumstances, our winning was possible.
In other words, might have is counterfactual: it is
always followed by something which is not true. But
may have is not counterfactual: it is followed by
something which is not known to be false. This
contrast is of central importance in standard English,
and mastery of it is essential. So, ignore all those
football coaches who routinely intone If it hadnt been
for that dodgy call, we may have won. Standard English
absolutely requires might have won here, and, if you
find this unnatural, you will simply have to grit your
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teeth and learn it. You cant imagine how awful that
non-standard may have sounds to careful writers.
169. Maybe, May be
These two are often confused. But there is a simple
way to tell them apart: the single word maybe can
always be replaced by perhaps without changing the
meaning, while the two words may be cannot. So,
write Two decisions may be more important than others
but Two decisions, maybe more, will be more important
than others. Note that perhaps can replace maybe in
the second example, but not may be in the first.
170. Meet, See
I think I must meet my boss to settle this issue.
Meet is not the right word here; the right word is
see. You meet someone somewhere either by sheer
chance or by arrangement when both you and the other
person come to the same place especially for such
meeting.
171. Meteor, Meteorite
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A meteor is a bright streak of light in the sky produced
by a small body from space travelling through the
atmosphere at enormous speed, what is informally
called a shooting star. The word is also applied to the
small body producing the light. A meteorite is a lump
of stone or metal on the earths surface, the remains
of a meteor which was big enough to survive passage
through the atmosphere without being burned up.
172. Migrate, Emigrate, Immigrate
To migrate is to move from one place to another. This
movement may be more or less permanent, as when
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persistent drought forces people to leave their homes
and migrate to a new area, or it may be temporary or
cyclical, as when nomadic hunter-gatherers migrate
from place to place according to the seasons. To
emigrate is to leave ones homeland: The potato blight
forced many Irish people to emigrate. To immigrate is
to travel to a new home: During the nineteenth
century, millions of Europeans immigrated to the USA.
Of course, a migrant always travels from one place to
another place, and your choice of word depends on
whether you want to emphasise the leaving or the
arrival. So, we speak of emigrants from the Ireland of
the famine, but immigrants from elsewhere to the USA.
173. Militate, Mitigate
These similar-looking but unrelated verbs are often
confused. The verb militate normally only occurs in
the e xpre ssion militate against, which me ans
disfavour, work against. For example,
Her punk hairstyle and pierced face militate against
her chances of getting a teaching job.
It is not possible for a person to militate against anything,
or for anything to militate against a person.
The verb mitigate means soften, reduce the severity
of:
The seriousness of her crime was mitigated by the
appalling treatment she had enduced.
It is not possible to follow mitigate with against.
You are probably familiar with the phrase mitigating
circumstances, which means circumstances that
reduce the seriousness of an offence.
174. Moguls, Mogul, Mughal
The Muslim rulers of India were formerly called
Moguls in English, but today the spelling Mughals
is increasingly preferred and is recommended here.
But our informal word for a powerful person, often
especially in the entertainment industry, is always
written mogul, as is the unrelated word mogul for a
mound of hard snow on a ski slope or a snowboard
course.
175. Moneys, Monies
Though the plural of money is hardly ever required in
ordinary contexts, that plural is the regular moneys.
But an exception occurs in legal language, in which
the irregular plural monies is usual in the sense of
sum(s) of money.
176. Moral, Morale
As a noun, moral means ethical conclusion or
lesson. Morale means spirit or state of mind, or
the condition of courage, determination and pride in
the mind of a person, team, army, etc. For example,
The moral of this story is that death is inevitable.
The morale of our soldiers is high.
177. No More, No Longer
No more is used to express quantity or degree. No
longer is used to express time. For example,
There is no more bread in my house.
The people of t his village no longer suppor t the
congress party. (Never write.....no more support...)
178. Offer, Opt for
In this university, if you enrol yourself for MA in
English, you can offer as many as three Courses in
English language.
I dont know of a university where students offer
courses. The fact is that they can only choose or opt
for the courses of their liking out of those the
university offers them. This mistake is similar to
the one discussed under give, take (an exam)
179. Opht halmol ogist, Oculist, Op tometr ist,
Optician
An ophthalmologist is a me dical practitione r
specialising in diseases of the eye. Another word with
the same meaning is oculist, which is now rarely used.
An optometrist is a person who is qualified to examine
the eyes and to prescribe spectacle lenses. An optician
is not qualified to prescribe lenses, but merely sells
spectacle frames. In practice, a high-street shop
usually contains both optometrists and opticians. In
Britain, an optometrist is often called an ophthalmic
optician, while an optician is called a dispensing optician.

180. Oral, Verbal
Something which is oral is spoken: for example, an
oral agreement is one which is made by speaking, with
nothing written down. In contrast, anything which is
verbal is expressed in words, whether spoken or
written. Hence a verbal agreement may be either
spoken or written down. It is an error to write verbal if
what you mean is oral. It may help to remember that
non-verbal communication is communication by
means of postures, gestures and expressions, without
the use of words.
181. Ordinance, Ordnance
An ordinance is a bylaw or a decree. In contrast,
ordnance is munitionsthat is, ammunition, shells
or artillery. Curiously, the official map-making body
of the British or Irish government is the Ordnance
Survey.
182. Ostensible, Ostensive, Ostentatious
The word ostensible means apparent, seeming, American form is gaining ground in Britain and is now
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professed: so, for example, an ostensibly independent
assessment is an assessment which is apparently
inde pe nde nt, which is publicly pre se nte d as
independent. As this example may indicate, today the
word almost always carries a suggestion of deception:
the writer of this phrase is delicately implying that,
even though somebody has called the assessment
independent, it is not really independent. In other
words, the assessment has been rigged. Therefore,
you should not use ostensible if you do not mean to
imply any such thing: use apparent or seeming
instead.
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The rare word ostensive is primarily a technical
term in philosophy. You should avoid it unless you
are sure of its technical sense.
An ostentatious action is one which is pretentiously
flamboyant, which is intended to impress gullible
people: Her ostentatious clothes struck me as vulgar.
Do not use ostensive or ostentatious when you mean
ostensible, and do not use ostensible if you mean only
seeming.
183. Output, Outcome
The word output means the amount of something
that a person, a machine or an organisation produces.
Whereas outcome means the result or effect of an
action or event. For example,
We are waiting to hear t he f inal outcome of the
negotiations.
Manufacturing output has increased by 10 per cent.
184. Pain, Ache
When used as nouns, I dont see much difference
between these two words. Both stands for the feeling
of great discomfort in your body. May be ache refers
to a steady and fairly strong pain in some part of your
body, but more than that it is by convention that we
use ache (not, pain) for pain in certain parts of the
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body. Thus, we say headache, heartache toothache,
stomach ache, but not legache.
185. Pair, Couple
A pair means (i) two things of the same kind to be
used together: a pair of shoes/gloves; (ii) single article
with two parts always joined: a pair of scissors/
trousers/tongs; (iii) two persons closely associated,
eg, an engaged or married couple: the happy pair (=two
newly married persons).
Any two things of the same kind can be spoken of
as a couple: I saw a couple of rats in the garden. It
also means (i) two people who live or spend time
together, especially a husband and a wife: look at the
newly married couple; (ii) a few; several; small number:
Shell be back in a couple of minutes.
186. Per cent, Percent
The preferred British form is per cent, while the
preferred American form is percent. However, the
acceptable in some quarters, though not in all.
Note also the following. If interest rates rise from
10% to 11%, then they have not risen by one per cent,
but by ten per cent. (If you were paying 100 a month
before, you are paying 110 a month now - an increase
of ten per cent.) But you can write that rates have
gone up by one percentage point.
187. Perquisite, Prerequisite
A perquisite is a privilege attached to a certain job,
such as a company car or free use of a gym. The word
is informally shortened to perk. But a prerequisite is
a condition you must satisfy in order to qualify for
something: A good degree in French is a prerequisite for
this job.
188. Persecute, Prosecute
To persecute somebody is to deliberately make him
suffer, usually because of his race, religion, social
group or political beliefs: Queen Mary persecuted the
Protestants. To prosecute somebody is to bring legal
charges against him: Shoplifters will be prosecuted.
There is also a much rarer sense of prosecute, continue
with, now largely confined to war, as in Beyazit
prosecuted his war against the Europeans until
Tamerlanes invasion forced him to desist.
189. Persons, People
The word person has two plural forms people and
persons, the commoner one being people. The form
persons is used in very formal or legal language. The
difference is easily seen in the following examples:
In yesterdays rail accident two (or three/twenty/many)
people were killed.
(Persons would be inappropriate here)
Persons who wish to file a petition should do so before
the end of this month
(People would be inappropriate here.)
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190. Perspicacious, Perspicuous consensus of opinion consensus

A perspicacious person is one who is shre wd, each and every each
pe rce ptive or discerning. Only a pe rson can be effective demonstration demonstration
perspicacious. A perspicuous thing is a thing which end result result
is clear, lucid and easy to understand, such as a exactly the same the same
perspicuous explanation. A pe rson cannot be final completion completion
perspicuous. The derived nouns are perspicacity and free gift gift
perspicuity, respectively. As so often, you can avoid future plans plans
tangling these words up by simply avoiding them in in the field of linguistics in linguistics
favour of simpler synonyms like perceptive and lucid. minute detail detail
a new innovation an innovation
191. Pick, Choose one and the same the same
Pick suggests merely selection, sometimes in a rather particular interest interest
perfunctory manner. Choose suggests careful thought period of two weeks two weeks
and deliberation, and the weighing of one thing against personal opinion opinion
another. We pick a winner and pick a football team, prior experience experience
but choose a birthday or wedding present, choose a razed to the ground razed
site for a new building, choose a name for a child, and rectangular in shape rectangular
choose one of the several things that are offered. For red in colour red
example, refer back refer
He has been picked for the Indian Cricket Team. repeat again repeat
She chose her words carefully hoping to avoid a quarrel. revert back revert

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shorter in length shorter
192. Play, Game small in size small
Play is often used to express a drama or a dramatic summarize briefly summarize
performance. Thus play is also a piece of literature surrounded on all sides surrounded
written for the theatre or television. For example, temporary respite respite
Julius Caesar is one of Shakespeares early plays. track record record
true facts facts
Game means a sport of any kind; a contest for usual custom custom
recreation. Carrom, chess, football, volle y ball, very widespread widespread
badminton etc are games. (They are not plays.) For
example, 194. Practical, Practicable, Pragmatic
Chess is a very slow game. A practical person or thing is effective and down-to-

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e arth, not conce rne d with or involving e mpty
193. Pleonasm flamboyance . The labe l is a complime nt. But
A pleonasm is the use of a word which merely repeats something which is practicable is merely something
a bit of meaning which is already present in another which can be done, regardless of whether doing it
word. Here is an example: The two armies combined would be valuable. This word cannot be applied to a
together. Things which combine are ne ce ssarily person. Except in linguistics and philosophy, in which
together as a result, and so that together is pleonastic. it has special technical senses, pragmatic means
Write instead The two armies combined. And here is concerned only with results in the real world, and
another example: There might be potential commercial not with theoretical or moral stances, and the word
developments. Here might carries the same meaning can be applied to both people and policies.
as potential: write either There might be commercial So, if you have a task to perform, a practicable
developments or T here are potential commercial approach is one which can be done, a practical approach
developments. is a sensible one, and a pragmatic approach is one
Be low is a list of some of the most fre que nt which is meant to be effective.
pleonasms, with corrected forms. 195. Price, Cost
Pleonastic Improved Price means the amount of money for which a thing
adequate enough adequate is offered: What price did you pay for the house? Cost
an added bonus a bonus (n) is like price, but is used less for objects, and more
3 a.m. in the morning 3 a.m. (i) for services: the cost of having the car painted (ii)
a total of 200 people 200 people for general things: the cost of living. The amount of
basic essentials essentials money we pay for something is what it costs (v) us.
close proximity proximity
close scrutiny scrutiny The price of gold has risen sky-high.
How much did this motorbike cost you?
completely exhausted exhausted

196. Premiss, Premise, Premises
In logic, a statement upon which a following statement
is based is usually a premiss (plural premisses) in
British English, but the spelling premise (plural
premises) is also acceptable in Britain, and is universal
in American English. In all varieties of English, the
plural form spelled premises is a formal or legal term
for a property.
197. Prescribe, Proscribe
To prescribe something is to lay it down as a rule or a
procedure to be followed (or, in the case of medicine,
of course, to give instructions to the patient for its
use). In contrast, to proscribe something is to prohibit
it or condemn it. So, a prescribed book is a set book, a
book which students following a particular syllabus
must read or study, while a proscribed book is a
banned book.
198. Proceed, Precede
The verb proceed means to move on; to continue in a
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course of action or set of actions. But the verb precede
means to come before; to happen just before. For
example,
We can now proceed to the visiting room.
My work is proceeding according to plan.
My name precedes yours in the alphabet.
The flash of lightning preceded the sound of thunder.
199. Program, Programme
In American usage, the spelling is program in all
circumstance s. In British usage , the spe lling
programme is preferred for most purposes: a theatre
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programme, a radio programme. But even in Britain a
computer program is always so spelled. In all senses,
and in all varie tie s, the de rive d adje ctive is
programmatic.
200. Prophecy, Prophesy
The noun is prophecy; the verb is prophesy. Prophecy
means a statement that tells what will happen in
the future; whereas prophesy means to say what
will happen in the future. If you prophesy a fall in
share prices, then this outcome constitutes your
prophecy. And there is no such word as prophesize.
201. Protagonist, Antagonist
The word protagonist means first actor, and it
originally denoted the single most important character
in a Greek drama. Some people therefore object to
recognising more than one protagonist in a single
matter, but all authorities on English usage now agree
that this extended sense is perfectly acceptable: you
may safely write He is one of the protagonists in this
affair, meaning He is one of the principal actors.
But it is a serious error to write protagonist to mean
supporter. Even though an antagonist is an opponent
or adversary, the word protagonist has nothing much
to do with antagonist, and it does not contain the
element pro-, meaning in favour of. Write He is a
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supporter (or proponent) of legalized abortion, not He is a
protagonist of ....
202. Proved, Proven
The participle of prove is usually proved in standard
English. Examples: We have proved it; This hypothesis
has never been proved. In such cases, the variant
proven is much less acceptable, especially in British
English, though it cannot quite be called wrong there,
and it is in fact rather common in American English,
where both forms are accepted as standard. However,
the adjective is almost always proven: her proven
competence; a proven remedy. Note also the special case
of not proven in Scottish law.
203. Quantum Jump, Quantum Leap
In physics, when a particle makes a quantum jump, it
moves from position A to position B without ever being
anywhe re in be twe e n - that is, the jump is
discontinuous (and also very small by everyday
standards). Journalistic prose commonly uses quantum
jump or quantum leap to mean a sudden and dramatic
change, especially an increase, as in a quantum leap
in house prices. Not only is this expression now a cliche,
it results from a bad misunderstanding of the physical
sense of the term. You should avoid the expression
in formal writing, unless you are using it in its physical
sense.
204. Race, Nation, State, Tribe
All these words stand for large groups into which
human beings may be divided. The largest of these
group is a race. It means a group of people of the
same class or physical type. A nation is a group of
people who share a common history and usually a
language, and usually but not always live in the same
area. A state is either a politically independent
country, or one of the states making up a country,
such as Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, etc. A tribe is
a social group smaller than a nation, sharing the
common customs and usually the same language, and
often following an ancient way of life. For example,
We all belong to the Aryan race.
Do you know anything about the Indian nations of
America?
The President spoke on radio to the nation.
Most former colonies have now become self-governing
states.
He is a member of the Zulu tribe.
205. Rare, Scarce
Things that are uncommon, and perhaps valuable, are
rare; a rare bird/coin/disease. Ordinary useful things
that we have not got enough of, are scarce. It means
not much or many compared with what is wanted.
Apples are scarce this season.
We can use rare, but not scarce, about time: One
of my rare (=not happening often) visits to New York.
It is a rare bird (hard to come by). Mango is scarce
in winter, and costs a lot.
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206. Ravage, Ravish
To ravage a territory is to wreak destruction on it. As
for ravish, this has had several sense, but most
commonly it is a quaint or delicate word for rape. The
common error is writing ravish where ravage is
required, as in this example: The fighting has ravished
Lebanon.
207. Raze, Rase
The spelling is raze in all varieties of English; the
older rase is now obsolete. Note that to raze a
building is to demolish it, to level it, so that nothing
remains of it except perhaps the foundation. It is
therefore a pleonasm to write The buildings were razed
to the ground. Prefer instead The buildings were razed.
There is no partial razing.
208. Rebut, Refute
These words are frequently confused and frequently
used wrongly. To rebut a statement is to offer clear
evidence or a reasoned argument against it. To refute
a statement is to prove it wrong. Neither word means
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deny or contradict, and this is where most of the trouble
arises.
Suppose I say to you All swans are white. If you
simply reply No, theyre not, then you have denied
my statement (and contradicted me), but you have
neither rebutted nor refuted anything. If you produce
an e ncyclopaedia article on black swans or an
ornithologist who can report on his experience with
black swans, then you have rebutted my assertion -
that is, you have assembled good evidence against it.
If you show me a black swan, then you have refuted
my assertion - that is, you have proved it wrong.
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Do not make the common error of writing refute, or
even rebut, when all you mean is deny. It is usually
very difficult to prove that a statement is wrong, and
refute should accordingly be used with great care.
209. Refer, Allude
When you refer to something, you do so explicitly,
citing it by name. However, when you allude to
something, you do so inexplicitly, without naming it.
I can refer to my wife by writing Jan or my wife, but, if
I write somebody I know, with Jan in mind, I am only
alluding to her.
210. Referee, Umpire
A person who controls and regulates a basketball, or
billiards or football or hockey or rugby or a boxing
match is known as a referee. But an umpire is a person
who regulates and controls the matches of either
badminton or baseball or cricket or tennis or wrestling.
Raman was the referee of the Durand Cup Final.
The umpire Dicky Bird gave the batsman the benefit
of doubt.
211. Regard, Regards
The noun regards is only appro priate in the
construction illustrated by Give your wife my regards
and in the phrase as regards. In al l othe r
circumstances, the required word is regard. In
particular, write with regard to this issue, not with
regards to this issue.
212. Regretful, Regrettable
The word regretful means full of remorse, and only a
person can be regretful. But regrettable me ans
unfortunate, and it is applied to circumstances or to
behaviour. Write Her behaviour at the party was
regrettable, and she is now suitably regretful.
213. Release Launch
It will be a good idea to have the book released by a VIP
at a special ceremony.
Now, it is a curious fact of standard English that,
while, CDs, videos, and films are released, books are
only lauched. If you ask me for the reason, I wont be
able to give you one.
214. Release, Relieve
Your request for transfer has been granted, but I cant
say when they are going to relieve you.
Whe n we fre e some one from his or he r duty,
responsibility, or contract, we release them. So when
a worker is officially freed to go on transfer, for
example, he is released not relieved.
It is all right, however, to use the word relieve in
the following context:
I know you are tired, but please do carry on for a while.
Seema will come soon to relieve you.
He re, relieve me ans to re move or re duce an
unpleasant feeling or pain.
215. Repel, Repulse
Often confused. To repulse is to drive back, usually
in war: The Chechens repulsed the Russian attack. To
repel is to excite disgust in: Susie is repelled by the
smell of raw fish.
216. Repellent, Repugnant, Repulsive
All three of these adjectives mean loathe some,
disgusting, offe nsive to the se nse s or to
sensibilities. But repulsive is the strongest word of
the three: while you merely keep away from something
which is repellent or repugnant, you recoil from
something repulsive.
The word repellent also me ans resistant (for
example, to water), as in water-repellent fabric. And
note the spelling, with -ent, not -ant.
217. Residence, House
(a) You can come to my residence in Sector 14.
Residence is a house, especially large or impressive
one. For example,
10, Race course is the Indian PMs official residence.

218. Respective, Respectively
The se some what formal words show that two
sequences should be interpreted as consisting of
paired items. For example, Jan and Larry drank whisky
and brandy, respectively means that Jan drank whisky
while Larry drank brandy.
It is, of course, necessary to have the same number
of items in each list. Consider the following mess:
Alice, Susan and Brenda are respectively divorced and
separated. This is gibberish, since a list of three is
linked to a list of two, and the reader has no chance
of figuring out what the writer is trying to say. These
words are very frequently used pointlessly, when no
ambiguity is possible, as in the example Henman and
Kafelnikov won their respective matches. It is
inconceivable that the two players could win each
others matches, or win somebody elses matches, and
so that respective should not be there: write Hemnan
and Kafelnikov won their matches.
In the same vein, it is hardly necessary to write
the following: After the meeting broke up, the delegates
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returned to their respective homes. Just write ... returned
to their homes, or, better still,... returned home. Who
will suspe ct the de le gate s of re turning to one
anothers homes?
219. Rob, Steal
Things are stolen and people are robbed. The verb
steal has, as its object, what is taken by the thief.
For example,
Somebody has stolen my scooter.
He stole a few antique coins from the museum.
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The verb rob has, as its object, either the person
whose things are taken, or the place from where
things are taken. The object of the verb rob is never
the things that are taken. For example,
The bank was robbed last week.
He has been robbed of all his belongings.
220. Sceptic, Skeptic, Septic
A person who is not inclined to believe things readily
is a sceptic in British English but a skeptic in
American English; these two spellings represent the
same pronunciation. The de rived adjective s are
likewise sceptical and skeptical. But septic is a medical
term meaning infected, as in a septic toe. The common
error here is writing sceptic where septic is intended.
221. Sensual, Sensuous
A person addicted to bodily pleasures derived out of
food, drink and sex is termed sensual. A person fond
of beautiful sights and sounds and of objects which
are pleasant to smell, taste and touch is a sensuous
person. For example,
He is all for purely sensual pleasures.
Keatss poetry is remarkably sensuous.
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222. Shade, Shadow
Shade is any place sheltered from the sun. And the
dark shape made by the shade of something is
shadow. For example,
dThe tree gives us pleasant shade in summer.
The tree cast its shadow on the wall.
223. Shall, Will
Over the years, these two words have called forth
torrents of ink, not all of which has been well spilled.
But the only rule you need is a simple one: if one
word or the other feels completely natural, then use
it without hesitation. Just forget what you think you
may have read in some usage manual. What that
manual said was very likely wrong anyway, or else it
was painstakingly describing the sort of English
spoken fifty years ago in another country.
In speech, both words are very often replaced by II
anyway, as in Thisll do the trick. Like all contractions,
this one should be used sparingly in careful writing,
and not at all in very formal writing.
In American English, shall has almost completely
disappeared, except in the kind of question illustrated
by Shall I open the window? (Would you like me to
open the window?). Some (not all) Americans also
retain the word in one or two fossilized expressions:
A certain writer, who shall remain nameless... The
negative form shant is entirely dead in the US.
British English seems to be going the same way,
though shall is still vigorous in some circles, and shant
still finds some use.
There is a traditional textbook ruling that runs as
follows. For simple futurity, you use shall after I or
we but will after everything else, while, to express
determination or command, you use will after I or we
but shall after everything else. By these rules, the
required forms are We shall finish tonight (simple
statement) versus We will finish tonight (expressing
determination), but They will finish tonight (simple
statement) versus They shall finish tonight (an order).
As grammarians never tire of pointing out, these
bizarre rules do not accurately describe the real usage
of careful speakers at any time or in any place in the
history of English, and they are little more than a
fantastic invention. If you are one of that handful of
speakers for whom these rules now seem completely
natural, then by all means go ahead and follow them.
But, if you are not, just forget about them, and use
your natural forms.
224. Sick, Ill
The adjective sick formerly meant ill, in bad health,
and it still does in American English. In British
English, however, sick is now commonly restricted to
the senses of experiencing nausea and mentally
disturbed, and ill is preferred as the everyday word.
However, the older sense of sick survives in Britain
in such expressions as sick pay and sick leave, and
also in the locution Hes a sick man.
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225. Silken, Silky
A silken cord is a cord made of silk, while a silky cord
is a cord which looks like silk, but very likely is not. A
cat may have a silky coat, but not a silken coat. However,
the word silken is now somewhat old-fashioned, and
today we normally use silk to label something made
of silk: a silk tie, not a silken tie.
226. Smell, Stink
A smell can be good or bad but a stink is always bad,
offensive smell, especially a very strong one. For
example,
The smell of these roses is sweet.
I cant stand the pungent smell of this acid.
The stink of burning rubber is unbearable.
227. Smile, Grin
A smile is an e xpression of the face showing
amusement or happiness. A grin is a very wide smile
which usually shows the teeth. For example,
He smiled and then accepted the proposal.
She stood there with an embarrassed grin on her face.
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228. Sometime, Some time, Sometimes
Of these three, sometimes is easy. It means now and
again, and it is always written as one word: My wife
and I sometimes play Scrabble. The other two are more
difficult, and usage varies. When some is unstressed,
the form is some time: Well need some time to consider
this. When the sense is an indefinite length of time,
it is usual to write some time: She arrived some time
after dinner. But some people write sometime here,
and this style cannot be considered wrong. When the
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sense is at an indefinite time in the future, sometime
is usual: Well talk about this sometime next week. But
the adjective meaning occasional or former is always
sometime: his sometime colleague.
229. Sped, Speeded
The past tense and past partciple of the verb speed
are sped when the verb means hurry: She sped to
the scene. But it is speeded when the meaning is
drive too fast: She got a ticket because she had speeded.
230. Stalactite, Stalagmite
In a cave, stalagmites stick up while stalactites hang
down. If you have trouble with this, think of ants in
the pants: the mites go up, and the tights go down.
231. Stationary, Stationery
The adje ctive stationary means not moving: a
stationary van is a van which is not moving. The noun
stationery means writing materials, such as paper
and ink: a stationery van is a van which delivers
stationery. Do not confuse the two.
232. Stimulant, Stimulus
A stimulant is a drug which (technically) increases
physiological activity or (informally) makes you more
alert. Caffeine is a good example. But a stimulus is
anythingthough hardly e ve r a drugwhich
encourages you to undertake or to pursue an action.
The plural of stimulus is stimuli.
233. Storm, Cyclone, Typhoon, Hurricane
The general word for rough and especially windy
weather conditions is storm. A large, violent storm
with a circular wind is called a cyclone in the tropics,
a typhoon in the western pacific, and a hurricane in
the western Atlantic ocean.
A fierce storm is raging.
This year a cyclone took a heavy toll of life in Bangla
Desh.
The Western Pacific region, was lashed by typhoon.
The coastal region of the Western Atlantic ocean was
laid waste by a hurricane.
234. Struck, Stricken
The past participle of strike is normally struck. This
has often struck me as curious; He was struck by her
beauty. The form stricken is now normally an adjective:
a stricken look, a stricken cry. However, stricken can be
used with names of diseases: He was stricken with
polio.
235. Substitute, Replace
Suppose the football player Shearer is forced to leave
the match with an injury, and Owen comes off the
bench to take his place. Clearly a substitution has
occurred, but who has been substituted?
In standard English, the player who has been
substituted is Owen, not Shearer: Shearer has been
replaced (by Owen), while Owen has been substituted
(for Shearer).
236. Suppress, Depress, Oppress
I recently read this account of a cricketer: His recent
loss of form has suppressed his average. (Baseball fans
may read this as His recent slump...) What the writer
intended, of course, was depressed. These three verbs
all have quite different meanings, but the y are
sometimes confused.
To suppress something is to stop it, to prohibit it,
to prevent it from becoming public or widespread. You
can suppress a smile, a political movement or a book,
for example. To depress something is to make it lower:
you can depress a batting average, the share price of
a stock, or a persons spirits. To oppress people is to
treat them harshly when you have power over them:
only people can be oppressed.
237. Suspicious, Suspect
If you have a dark feeling that some stranger is up to
no good, then you are suspicious (of the stranger,
and of his behaviour), while his behaviour may be
described either as suspicious or as suspect. All these
represent standard use, but you might do well to
remember suspect and to use it when you can, since
an expression like a suspicious visitor is potentially
ambiguous: is it the visitor who suspects something,
or is it someone else who suspects the visitor?

238. Systematic, Systemic
The word systematic means orderly and thorough, office hours
as in a systematic search. But systemic me ans
pertaining to a system, as in systemic poison, a poison
which affects the entire body.
239. Tall, High
Tall refers to heights from base to top, in proportion
to breadth: a tall tree, a tall person. High refers to
distance aboveusually though not always, above the
ground or the floor: a high hill, a high window, etc.
We use high (opposite low) for measurement of most
things (not people), especially when we are thinking
of distance above the ground. We use tall (opposite
short) for people, and also for things that are high and
narrow.
He is rather tall for his age.
How high is that mountain?
240. Tell, Say, Speak
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Our teacher told that we must do five sums every day.
The given sentence is incorrect because the grammar
of English requires an indirect object (like me, him,
her, John, Mary etc) after the verb tell in sentences
like the one above. And when there is no indirect object
in the situation, we use say instead of tell. The verb
say does not necessitate the use of an indirect object
after it.
As for the verb speak, all that is necessary for
remediation purposes is to remember that language
we speak, but a word or a sentence, we say.
Thus, a sentence like He speaks English fluently
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is correct, but a sentence like He spoke only two
sentences, is not. In the second sentence, we must
use the verb said instead of spoke.
241. That, Which, Who
A relative clause may often be introduced either with
that or with which (for things) or who (for people). during which educational institutions and higher
So, you may write either the topic that I want to consider
or the topic which I want to consider (or, in a more
informal style, the topic I want to consider). However, it
is impossible to use that if the relative clause is non-
restrictive - that is, if it does not serve to identify the
thing under discussion, but only serves to provide
more information about that thing. So, you must write
the Suez Canal, which was opened in 1869, and you
cannot write the Suez Canal, that was opened in 1869.
Note in particular that a noun denoting a group of
people takes which, not who. You cannot write the
battalion who had captured the fortress because a
battalion, though composed of people, is not itself a
person: write the battalion which had captured the
fortress.
It is possible to use that with people, but the
result is often rather clumsy. While the linguists that
are working on this problem is not quite wrong, it doesnt
sound as good as the linguists who are working on this
problem. Prefer who with people.
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242. Timings, Hours (of work), Opening hours,
At the entrance to an office or at clinics, etc you may
find a notice headed as Timings. What follow this
heading are the hours during which that office or clinic
is open. To convey such information timing is not
the right word. You can convey the desired meaning
by using any of the following words or phrases:
hours, hours of work, opening hours, or (in the case of
an office) office hours.
Timing means the act of choosing when something
happens or a particular point or period of time when
something happens or is planned. For example,
The timing of the decision was a complete surprise.
Please check your flight timings carefully.
243. Travel, Journey, Voyage
Travel means moving from place to place. If a person
moves from place to place over a period of time, we
speak of his or her travels. A journey is the time spent
and the distance covered in going from one particular
place to another. A voyage has the same meaning
but is only by sea. For example,
He returned home after years of travel abroad.
It was a long journey across the desert.
The voyage from Bombay to England takes a lot of time.
244. Troop, Troupe
A troop is a group of soldiers or Scouts; a troupe is a
group of actors, dancers or other performers.
245. Vacations, Vacation
W her e ar e you planning t o go dur ing t he next
vacations?
The right word there is vacation (singular), not
vacations (plural). In its singular form itself, the word
conveys the desired meaning, ie, a period of the year
courts are officially closed.
Of course, the plural form, vacations also exists,
and its use is illustrated below:
We have three vacations in a year summer
vacation, autumn vacation and winter vacation.
246. Vicious, Viscous
The adjective vicious means very nasty, violent, while
viscous means very thick and slow-running. For
example,
Thugs are vicious, but honey is viscous.
247. Volcano, Vulcanism
A mountain which explodes is a volcano, and the
derived adjective is volcanic. However, volcanic activity
is vulcanism, and a scientist who studies volcanoes
is a vulcanologist. Why the difference? The forms with
O are derived from Italian, while those with U are
derived from Latin.
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248. Waste, Wastage
The word wastage is not a fancy equivalent for waste,
and you should not write things like this: Low-flow
toilets reduce wastage of water. Waste is failure to use
something which could easily be used. But wastage is
loss resulting from unavoidable natural causes, such
as evaporation.
249. Wear, Put on
The verb wear indicates a continuous state (eg, wear
clothes = have clothes on your body), the verb put on
denotes the action involved. To further clarify this
diffe re nce , I cannot do be tte r than quote this
explanation from Cobuild Dictionary:
When you put on clothing, you place it on your body
in order to wear it.
Thus, Which shoes are you going to wear today? is all
right, but not: Wear your shoes now. Instead we say
Put on your shoes new.
We will have noticed by now that the verbs keep,
hold and wear belong to one category (the category
example, summer, autumn, winter). So, in the above
sentence, you should use season in place of weather.
251. Wind, Breeze, Gust, Gale
Wind means a moving current of air. A breeze is
usually a pleasant gentle wind. A gust is a strong,
sudden rush of air, whereas a gale is a very strong
wind. For example,
Cold wind is blowing.
The morning breeze is good for health.
A gust of wind blew his hat away.
Our chimney was blown down in a gale.
252. Wordiness
A very common failing is the writing of three or six
words where one or two will do. It is impossible to list
all the examples, but here are a few of the most
frequent cases, with suggested replacements:
Avoid Write
as to whether whether
at the present time now
at this moment in time at present or now

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denoting a continuous state), while the verbs put, because of the fact that because
catch and put on belong to another (the category by virtue of the fact that because
denoting an action). due to the fact that because
250. Weather, Season has a tendency to tends to
in the absence of without
After a long winter, there is a change of weather in in the event that if
February.
in the near future soon
Weather is the condition of the atmosphere at any in the not too distant future eventually
particular place and time (for example, rainy, hot, prior to before
sultry, cloudy), and it may even change from hour to subsequent to after
hour. Seasons, on the other hand, represent the the question as to whether whether
periods into which a year is usually divided (for

KUNDAN